


Take me to the skies

by mynamelessname



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Confessions, First Crush, M/M, Romance, Steampunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-17
Updated: 2012-01-17
Packaged: 2017-10-29 16:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynamelessname/pseuds/mynamelessname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sho has to come to terms with his past as Jun proposes a crazy mission to reunite the crew of the Pikanchi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take me to the skies

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt at arsauanonmeme: Steampunk era - ship navigator/map lover Sho has been trying, and failing, to hide his crush on the ship's mercenary Jun for years now.

Sho looked around with wide eyes as Nino led him onto the skyship. Since the last time they worked together, he had been on many ships but this had to be the nicest. The metal and wood trim were polished until they gleamed. The floors were so immaculate that Sho felt it was a crime to wear his dirty, worn boots inside. The ship looked almost too legitimate compared to the circles they usually found themselves in, definitely a step up from his last ship.

“So who is this guy we’re working for?” Sho asked, glancing over at his best friend, eyebrows raised. When he contacted Sho about the job, Nino remained silent about the details of the captain, the ship, or even the job. Whoever this captain was, he clearly loved his ship.

“Hm? Oh, right, you know him actually. We worked with him on the Pikanchi,” Nino replied with a grin. Sho’s eyes lit up at the name of the ship, one of the first he worked on and still his favorite, not to mention the ship where their friendship began.

“The captain is the one and only Matsumoto Jun,” Nino announced as they turned a corner.

Sho stopped dead in his tracks.“M-Matsumoto?” he stuttered, jaw slack in shock. That was a name he never thought he’d hear again. Sho took comfort in the thought that Jun probably forgot about him completely.

Nino gave Sho an odd look then grabbed him by arm and pulled him down the hallway. “Yeah, we’ve been wanting to bring you on for a while now, but Jun is a decent enough navigator on his own. We didn’t really need you, not until this mission.”

Okay, so maybe Jun hadn’t forgotten about him completely. Sho didn’t have time to panic because right then they arrived at the captain’s quarters. Nino knocked once on the door and entered without waiting for a response. Sho’s stomach clenched uncomfortably and he told himself that he was being silly. They hadn’t seen each other in years. Just as Sho had changed over the years, Jun could be a totally different person now.

The door opened to reveal Jun, and Sho was transported back to his 20-year-old self, awkward and overcome by the crush he had pushed aside since they parted ways. The past couple years had been kind to Jun, erasing the last traces of awkward adolescence. Realizing he was staring, Sho tore his eyes from Jun and plastered a smile on his face.

“Sho-kun,” Jun greeted with a grin. “Thanks for coming.” He rounded the desk and took Sho’s hand, shaking it vigorously. Sho’s hand tingled at the contact.

“M-Matsumoto,” Sho stuttered and mentally kicked himself. He was 25 years old, this was not the time to be acting like a moonstruck teenager. He cleared his throat and continued, “Sorry. I’m a little surprised. Nino neglected to mention _you_ were the captain.”

“Nino does like surprising us,” Jun commented with a quiet laugh. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice Sho’s strange behavior. He sat back down behind his desk and motioned for Nino and Sho to take the two chairs in front of him. “Nino probably didn’t tell you about our mission either?”

Sho shook his head, wondering what kind of mission Jun couldn’t navigate himself.

“It’s a personal mission, so I can’t guarantee much for pay,” Jun began slowly, rubbing his hands together nervously.

“Personal,” Sho repeated flatly. Jun was only one step above a mercenary. He didn’t do personal.

Jun nodded and continued, “But if we’re successful, I hope – I _know_ it will be quite rewarding.”

“Better than money,” Nino chipped in.

Sho stared at Nino. There were very few things that he thought were better than money. Sho’s mind raced to figure out what it was. Buried treasure? Reward for rescuing a kidnapped princess? Free food for life? Sho leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Tell me.”

Jun leaned over his desk and grinned widely. “I’m bringing back the Pikanchi.”

“We have a ship, we have you, we’re just missing Ohno and Aiba.” Nino leaned forward to look into Sho’s face.

“That’s our mission,” Jun stated, falling back into his chair. “If we succeed, you’ll have a job here as long as you want. If we don’t succeed…” Jun shrugged. “I can’t guarantee that there will even be a ship. Are you in?”

Sho took a deep breath and mulled it over. They had disbanded after the crash; no one had the money to buy a new ship. They went their separate ways, unable to find a ship that could afford to take on a full crew of five. Of course, Sho dreamed of reuniting the crew but long thought it was impossible. Sho managed to stick with Nino for the next few months, bouncing from ship to ship, hiring on with anyone who could take them, but eventually they too had to part ways. “Of course I’m in!” he replied, almost bouncing out of his seat. “Do you have any leads?” Now that the mission was in front of him, Sho lost his earlier awkwardness.

“We’re picking up Aiba first. We have a solid lead on his location; he’s close,” Jun explained, a satisfied smirk tugging on his lips.

“It seems that he’s ‘gone native,’” Nino continued with a chuckle. “Aiba’s living with the woodland creatures about two days from here.”

“And Satoshi?”

“That’ll be more difficult,” Jun admitted with a sigh.

“And why we need Aiba – for his experience with explosives,” Nino commented.

“Explosives?” Sho repeated, suddenly worried that he agreed too soon.

“Last I heard, Ohno took a job with a smuggling outfit,” Jun explained, rubbing his forehead wearily. “They entered enemy territory a month ago but never came back. Once we find him, we may need to make a hasty exit.”

“Hence the need for explosives,” Sho supplied with a grimace. He made it a rule to never deal with smugglers; they were too unreliable, but… it was Ohno, the original leader of Pikanchi. Jun might be the captain now, and Sho might be the navigator, but it was Ohno that kept them together. Sho patted the bag hanging from his shoulder. “I’ve got my maps and charts, let’s go.”

Jun laughed and clapped his hands. “I was only waiting for you before pulling out of port. Nino will show you your room and the navigation room. I’ve collected a few maps of my own that may be helpful.”

Nino hauled Sho out of his chair. “C’mon Sho-chan, let’s get rid of your bags.” Sho shouldered his other bag and followed Nino.

“Sho,” Jun called just as they reached the door. Sho stopped and turned to look at Jun. “It’s… really nice to see you again.” Jun gave Sho a lopsided grin.

“Yeah,” Sho squeaked as his stomach twisted again. He cleared his throat and continued. “It’s good to be back.”

Nino suddenly grabbed Sho’s hand and pulled him out of the room. Sho scrambled to catch up. Nino turned and hissed at him, “You still like him, don’t you?”

Sho froze, the color draining out of his face. “No! Of course not! I mean, I don’t know.” He dared a glance as Nino, who just stood there, staring at him. “I’m still in shock, can’t figure out how I feel. If you say _anything_ to him, I swear-” Sho broke off as he suddenly remembered a similar conversation shortly before the end of the original Pikanchi. He had been close to confessing to Jun, but then there was the life or death mission, the crash, and suddenly Jun was gone. He shook those thoughts aside. “Just let me figure this out on my own okay?”

Nino continued to look skeptical but nodded and dropped the subject. Sho sighed in relief. “So tell me about the ship. How fast can we go? Cargo?” Sho showered Nino with questions, desperate to change the subject. He knew Nino wouldn’t drop it forever, but he had some breathing space for the moment.

\---

Bent over a map-filled table and surrounded by various books and navigational tools, Sho was in his happy place. Nino had left him with Aiba’s last-known location and it was Sho’s job to get them there. The route should’ve been easy enough, there were no large cities to fly around, no enemy encampments to avoid. Sho rummaged through the layers of paper and pulled out the airstream map. This was the tricky part – how to use the winds so that the ship could cover the longest distance with the least amount of effort.

Sho hummed as he worked, flipping through the various maps to make sure Jun’s newer maps corresponded with his own maps that were tried and true. He measured with his protractor in one hand and scribbled notes with the other. It was like a puzzle, trying to make everything fit.

“Do we have a route?” Sho jumped in surprise at Jun’s voice. He had been so engrossed in his work that he didn’t hear the other man enter the room.

“Y-yeah, I think so,” Sho replied, willing his heart to return to its normal pace. “I was just about to come up to the bridge, just need to finish double-checking my measurements. This time of year, the winds are in our favor. It’s looking like we’ll get there ahead of schedule.” He turned around to face Jun and smiled. Silly crush aside, he was finding it easier to talk to Jun now that he was focused solely on the task at hand. “If you give me another minute or two, I can get you the coordinates right away.”

“Perfect,” Jun replied and moved to take a seat in the extra chair.

Sho willed himself to ignore the way that Jun ensconced himself with an effortless grace. He turned back to his maps to check and recheck every calculation and measurement, hyperaware that Jun was watching every move he made. Satisfied that it was perfect, he ripped the page of notes out of the pad and handed it over to Jun.

Jun stared at the piece of paper then looked back up at Sho. “Actually, come with me to the bridge?” Sho looked up at Jun, surprised. He had planned to dive directly into his next project: making sense of Nino’s jumbled reports to plan their route to rescue Ohno. “I need to relieve Nino from his shift, and… you haven’t been up there yet, right?”

Sho shook his head. “Figuring this out was more important than touring the ship,” he replied slowly. “I was going to plan our route to Ohno now, but I guess I’ll have time later. I could use a break.” He smiled hesitantly up at Jun as he realized that the other was already looking over his calculations.

“Good,” Jun replied. Sho couldn’t tell if he was referring to Sho’s answer or the sheet in front of him. He looked up and smiled, “Let’s go.”

Sho hastily returned his instruments to the wooden travel box (didn’t want to lose anything if the ship bounced around while he was gone) and followed Jun out into the hallway.

“I almost forgot how you have a magical touch with navigation,” Jun commented, looking down at Sho. “This’ll take about four hours off my original plan.”

“Th-thanks,” Sho stuttered, suddenly nervous that all the attention was on him again, not to mention the compliment coming from Jun. He tried to shrug casually. “I just like maps and charts.”

Jun looked like he was about to argue that it was more than just liking maps and charts but he dropped it. Sho was notoriously humble about his own skills. “I’m beginning to think that it was a mistake to wait this long to bring you onto the ship. We could’ve used your magic touch a few weeks back. And… Nino’s missed you. I’ve missed you too.”

Sho’s eyes shot up to stare at Jun, unsure if he heard that correctly. He was saved from coming up with a response as they reached the bridge. Jun opened the door and led them inside. Nino handed over the helm and left them with a salute.

Sho watched as Jun clipped the instructions next to the helm and quickly adjusted the bearing according to Sho’s calculations. He turned a dial and flipped a couple switches, then cranked the thrust up a few notches. Sho braced himself as he felt the ship lurch slightly and speed up. His adjustments complete, Jun turned back to Sho. “Come here,” he ordered, flagging Sho over.

Sho stood next to Jun in front of the panoramic window. “The best view in the ship,” Jun commented quietly, linking his hands behind his back. Sho mirrored Jun’s stance and truly looked out the window. It was spectacular. The ship skimmed just below the clouds, only blue sky in front of them. Sho had been running from ship to ship, from job to job, that he rarely paused to think how wonderful it was to be traveling through the sky like this.

“Since there’s only three of us right now and we won’t get a co-pilot until we retrieve Ohno, I want to teach you how to pilot the ship,” Jun remarked quietly, never removing his eyes from the blue sky in front of them.

Sho went pale at Jun’s suggestion. He slowly backed away from the window, trembling slightly. “I-I can’t.” Jun of all people should know that. “I’m a navigator, Jun, not a pilot.” It was one thing tell the pilot where to go, but to handle the actual ship itself? Impossible.

Jun turned around to look him square in the eye. “Sho. It’ll be okay.”

Sho shook his head violently. “No… no.” He couldn’t look at Jun any longer, the Jun who told him everything would be okay with those warm, understanding eyes. Sho wanted to give in, believe that Jun was right, but there was too much at stake.

“I’m sorry,” Sho whispered, and Jun’s face fell. The apology was for more than just refusing the piloting lessons. Jun knew that as well as Sho. “Y-you probably should’ve found someone else to be your navigator.” With that, Sho made his escape, hoping that Jun didn’t follow him. Sho may have been imagining things, but he could’ve sworn that Jun whispered, “But there is only one Sho.”

Halfway to his rooms, Sho slumped against the wall. He had spent so many years running from the past and now it was catching up with him. If Sho knew one thing about history, it was that it tended to repeat itself. He didn’t want to subject himself to that burden, even if Jun was willing to forget it. Now, more than ever, Sho was determined to find Ohno, before Jun became even more insistent. He knew he couldn’t say no forever.

\---

The table in front of him was covered in some of Sho’s favorite maps and charts, but Sho’s mind was drifting. If Sho was being honest with himself, he’d admit that most of his thoughts centered around a certain airship captain that he may or may not have been avoiding. While Sho wouldn’t come out admit that he was avoiding Jun, he _had_ made himself scarce for the past couple days. Locking himself in the navigation room, he emerged only to eat, sleep, and make Nino leave him alone. He knew it wasn’t the most mature approach, but for the time being, Jun seemed content to give Sho some space. Sho knew he couldn’t avoid Jun forever. They were getting close to the forest where they were supposed to pick up Aiba.

A knock sounded on the door and Sho looked up from his work. “Come in,” he called, expecting it to be Nino.

“Sho, we’re almost there,” came Jun’s quiet voice.

Sho looked up in surprise. He quickly recovered, plastering a smile on his face. If he acted normal, maybe Jun would forget about the scene he made the other day.

“I don’t know how Nino did it, but he managed to get a message to Aiba,” Jun continued, leaning against the doorframe. Sho had to stop himself from thinking how natural Jun seemed to be right there, making himself at home in Sho’s doorway. “He’s meeting us at the northern edge of the forest.”

Sho relaxed as Jun bypassed the fact that they hadn’t talked to each other in days and settled on a safe topic. “It’ll be nice to see Aiba again,” he replied wistfully. If Ohno was the one that kept the group together, it was Aiba who made sure their lives were never boring, even on long and arduous journeys.

“Enjoy your last moments of peace and quiet.” Jun grinned wickedly then pushed himself off the doorframe. “We’ll be setting down in about five minutes.”

Sho nodded his understanding and moved to put his things away. If he had learned one thing about Aiba, it was that one didn’t leave things out in the open for Aiba to find and experiment with. Sho could only imagine the fun that Aiba would have with his navigational tools.

Feet slipping along the recently waxed hallways (Jun must’ve been busy cleaning while Sho was brooding), Sho rushed down to the docking bay. He fell through the doorway as the ship set down with a thump, clinging to the doorframe to keep himself from falling flat on his face. He was already teased enough about his physical deficits and didn’t want to give Nino even more ammunition against him.

Seconds later, Nino came strolling into the docking bay. From his disheveled appearance and the speed with which he made it from the bridge, Sho knew he was just as eager to see Aiba as the rest of them, despite his attempts to look cool and unconcerned. He looked back towards the bay door and caught Jun’s eye, taking a moment to share an amused glance at Nino’s expense.

Now that everyone was assembled, Jun pulled the door wide open to reveal Aiba. His hair was longer and a bit shaggy from his time in the forest, but he was still the same Aiba that Sho remembered, especially the blinding smile. As soon as Aiba dropped his packs on the ground, he catapulted himself onto Jun, who let out an “oof,” but hugged Aiba back enthusiastically. Nino dropped all pretense of being cool as he received a similar greeting.

Aiba turned his attention to Sho, jumping up and down enthusiastically as he gave Sho a massive hug. Laughing, Sho realized, not for the first time, what he had lost when the Pikanchi disbanded: Nino’s snark, Aiba’s sunshine and Jun’s… well, Sho was still trying to figure out what exactly Jun meant to him. The only missing piece was their rock, Ohno.

“The animals I lived with were great, but it doesn’t compare with you guys,” Aiba announced brightly as Sho finally wiggled out of his grasp. “Or with this ship.” He looked around the docking bay in awe.

“I’m sure the conversation here is much better, even when Sho rambles on about his newest maps,” Nino replied dryly. He picked up one of Aiba’s bags and slung it over his shoulder. “Come on, Aiba-chan. I’ll show you to your room.”

Aiba picked up his other bag, flashed a bright smile towards Sho and Jun, then followed Nino out of the docking bay. Sho never would’ve suspected that someone with such an innocent-looking face would be an expert with explosives.

Sho dared a glance over at Jun. The other man was still watching the doorway Aiba disappeared through with an amused grin on his face. Jun shook his head fondly and turned to Sho, who blushed as he realized he was caught staring.

“Now that Nino is getting Aiba settled in, I should probably get us back in the air,” Jun commented casually. He secured the bay door and turned back to study Sho, his face unreadable.

Sho rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and cleared his throat. “I-I’ll get back to my maps then. Give me another hour or so and I should have something for you, the first half of our journey, at least.” Sho tore his gaze away from Jun and hastily ducked out of the room. He dared a glance back as he passed through the doorway. Jun looked confused, worried about something but Sho didn’t dare to think it was about him. They had plenty of other things to worry about. The hard part of their trip had only begun.

\---

A pad of paper clutched between his hands, Sho ventured up to the bridge. The temptation to join Aiba and Nino’s card game in the galley was strong, but Sho knew that Jun needed his notes as soon as possible. He peeked through the doorway of the bridge to see Jun busy shuffling through some papers.

Sho cleared his throat, waiting for Jun to notice him. “Special delivery for the captain,” he said teasingly, hoping to start the mood off light, and waved the pages for Jun to see.

“Come in, come in.” Jun ushered Sho in with a smile. “I don’t stand on formality here, no need to have the captain’s permission to enter the bridge or anything like that,” he continued with a quiet chuckle.

“Good, because I’m not very good at asking permission,” Sho replied with a solemn nod. He relaxed as Jun acted like nothing had happened the other day. Maybe he was being silly to avoid the other’s presence. Sho handed the papers to Jun and wandered over to the window, as the other man looked them over.

Only the sound of rustling paper broke the silence in the room as Sho took in the sight of the wide blue sky, broken by a few fluffy white clouds. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this view,” he commented with a sigh.

Jun set the papers down on a table and came to stand next to Sho. “The bridge is always open to you,” he commented quietly, glancing over at Sho before looking back at the view. “Whether for observation or… piloting the ship.”

Sho buried his face in his hands at Jun’s remark. “I already told you that it’s impossible,” he whispered through his fingers.

“I don’t believe you,” Jun spat out, disgusted at Sho’s behavior. He pulled Sho’s hands away from his face and stared him down. Sho cowered under Jun’s glare. He had forgotten how powerful it could be. “What happened to the Sho who could do anything he put his mind to? You’re giving up without even trying.”

“It’s not worth the risk,” Sho choked out, holding back the tears that threatened to escape. He tried to take a step back but his hands were still trapped within Jun’s. “You know what happened. That night with the storm. I’m the one who crashed the Pikanchi.”

Jun dropped Sho’s hands. “Nino told me that you still blame yourself, but I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think that you would be stupid enough to still be blaming yourself all these years later.”

“I could’ve killed you, Jun!” Sho shouted, a tear leaking from the corner of his eye. “And you still want me to fly the ship? I could’ve killed all of us. And certainly, I killed all of our dreams when the ship went down.” Pikanchi was supposed to be their home, their future, and then it was suddenly gone. Sho heart was flooded with regret. He lost more than just a job and a ship with the death of the Pikanchi. He couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down his face, didn’t even try to wipe them away.

“Dammit, Sho. You think _I_ don’t have regrets about that night?” Jun demanded, eyes blazing. Sho looked up at Jun with wide eyes. “There are things we _all_ should’ve done differently. Hell, I should’ve sent Aiba to check on the cargo and been on the bridge myself. And even then, the ship might’ve still gone down, because it was an _accident_.” Jun suddenly pulled Sho into a tight hug, and Sho went stiff, wondering what had gotten into Jun. Sho wouldn't have been surprised if it was Aiba, but Jun wasn't the hugging kind of guy. "No one blames you for that, no one except you.”

Realizing that Jun was being sincere, Sho relaxed into Jun’s hug and buried his face into Jun’s shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered. Until now, he didn't realize how much he needed someone to tell him that it was okay, that it really wasn't his fault.

Jun patted Sho's hair awkwardly. "I-we couldn't stand to lose you, Sho. You're part of our family."

Sho's heart warmed at Jun's words. "Thanks, Jun," he replied quietly. It felt safe in Jun's arms, like nothing could go wrong. He pulled away before he could get too comfortable.

"You better not have gotten my shirt wet," Jun commented gruffly, looking down at the shoulder Sho buried himself into.

"I'll buy you a new one," Sho replied with a watery chuckle. He wiped away the last remaining tears with the palm of his hand.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Jun replied sternly, then laughed.

Sho shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at Jun uncertainly. He wasn't running away this time, but he didn't know how to move forward. “So…”

"So..." Jun repeated slowly. "Wanna take the ship for a spin?" He gave Sho a lopsided grin.

Sho just stared at Jun, almost admiring his cockiness. All that had just happened in the past half hour, and Jun wanted teach him right at this very moment. "Are you sure?"

"No time better than the present," Jun replied and tugged Sho over to the large wooden helm. Sho didn't even try to protest. If Jun believed in him so much, he had to try to believe in himself.

"It really isn't that different from the Pikanchi," Jun explained as Sho looked over the console. "Most ships are built along the same principles; they just have their buttons in different places." Sho nodded at Jun's explanation. He had to take Jun's word for that. The Pikanchi was his first ship, and he hadn't really paid attention to the helm in any of the other ships he worked on.

"These levers here control the ship's altitude. Come here and have a try," Jun encouraged. "They're a bit sensitive; you don't need to give it much."

Sho hesitated, then closed his hand around the brass lever. He moved it up a fraction of an inch and felt the ship respond accordingly. Moving it back down, the ship leveled off. He was suddenly overcome with memories of that night, fighting with the ship's unresponsive controls as the raging storm tossed them through the air.

Seeing Sho tense up, Jun shook his shoulder lightly. "Sho, relax, I'm right here beside you. Nothing is going to happen."

Sho took a deep breath and nodded. He pushed the bad memories away and focused on the blue sky in front of him. In the midst of his fear, he had forgotten how much he enjoyed flying. “Okay,” he breathed turning back to Jun. “What next?”

Jun pondered the console for a few moments, then replied, “These are the thrusters, forward for faster and back for slower, but once the ship is set on a course, you really shouldn’t need to change that.” Sho nodded at Jun’s explanation, glad that Jun wasn’t expecting him to take on too much responsibility. “Speaking of a course, I still need to look at your course corrections.”

Sho took a step back from the console as Jun retrieved the papers Sho drafted up earlier and looked them over. It struck Sho that more than just Jun’s face had matured over the past couple years. There was something different about the way he held himself, an air of confidence that hadn’t been there before. Sho looked forward to getting to know the new grown up Jun, he thought as he admired the way a lock of hair fell over Jun’s brow as he studied the papers. Sho mentally kicked himself. They were in the middle of a piloting lesson in the middle of a life-or-death mission. Now was not the time to be mooning over Jun like a teenager.

“Looks good, looks good,” Jun murmured in satisfaction. He looked up from the papers, surprised to see that Sho had moved away again. “We might as well make the adjustments right away.” Jun grabbed Sho by the hand and planted him in front of the steering wheel. He immediately got to work making his adjustments, explaining what each dial and knob did as he tweaked it and how to read the appropriate gauges.

Jun came to stand behind Sho as the gauges leveled off. “And now it’s time to change the heading,” he said with a grin. He glanced back down at the papers and announced, “New heading: 048°. Before we change the heading, we need to take into account any crosswind and make any needed calculations to determine a wind correction angle.”

Sho glanced down at the wind meter. “It looks like the wind is coming from 221°, a tailwind, right?” he asked, looking up at Jun. Now that he was back at the helm, it was slowly starting to come back to him. “No wind correction angle is needed?”

Jun nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “See? You’re a natural.” He took a step closer to Sho and placed each of Sho’s hands on the helm. Sho half turned to look at Jun, wondering when the other man had gotten so close and why Jun’s hands were still on top of his and what kind of shampoo Jun used that smelled so nice. Sho forced himself to close his eyes and turn away from Jun, thinking of the blue sky in front of him rather than the man behind him.

His hands still covering Sho’s, Jun turned the helm slightly. Two pairs of eyes were glued to the compass until they reached the desired heading. “You’ll need to check the various gauges from time to time, to make sure you don’t need to make any major changes, but the ship practically flies itself on a long trip like this,” Jun explained as he took his hands from Sho’s and stepped away. “Think you can do it?”

Sho hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want to let Jun down. “I-I think so. Do _you_ think I’ll be okay?”

“Of course I do,” he replied with a grin. “I won’t make you fly at night again, and Nino or I will be just a call away if _anything_ happens. We’re here to help.”

Sho breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes he needed to have permission to ask for help, and Jun seemed to sense that. “In that case,” Sho began slowly. “If you’re willing to trust me again, I’d be happy to take on some piloting shifts.”

“I wouldn’t let you near the helm if I didn’t trust you with my ship… or with my life,” Jun admitted quietly. He gave Sho a soft smile, and Sho could’ve sworn that his insides melted a little bit. As Jun turned to fiddle with a couple of the dials, Sho realized that something had changed between them since he first came into the bridge that afternoon. It wasn’t just that Sho came to terms with the past. Jun had opened up to Sho as well, almost as if…

An unknown force compelled Sho to speak up, as if this was the only chance he’d get. His fear of rejection held him back for so long, but now he was even more scared of not knowing. “Jun, I… I think-,” he choked out. He felt flushed, sweat beaded on his forehead.

Jun looked up from the console, eyebrows knit in concern. “Sho? Is something wrong?”

Sho’s mouth worked silently, trying to find the right words and failing. He was about to go for it, right words or not, when Aiba suddenly bounded into the room.

“Jun-chan!” Aiba greeted Jun by grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. “Nino won’t let me near any of the explosives even after I told him that I need to know what we have to plan Oh-chan’s rescue, but I know you’ll let me because you never say no to me, right?” He ended the statement with his most innocent smile.

Jun stared at him wordlessly than looked back at a similarly speechless Sho. _Sorry_ , he mouthed to the other man. “We’ll talk later, okay? I’ll send Nino up here to see if you need help or have any questions or-“ Whatever else Jun was going to say was cut off as Aiba impatiently pulled him through the doorway and out of sight.

Sho released his held breath and flopped into a nearby chair. Once again, he was prevented from telling Jun what he really meant to him. But this time was different. He wasn’t going to let uncertainty rule his life. He just had to wait for the right timing.

\---

The next few days kept the crew frantically busy. Jun locked himself in meetings with Nino and Aiba, planning the details of their rescue mission. More often than not, Sho found himself in the navigation room, perfecting their route. Nino continued to receive reports from his mysterious sources, but he couldn’t get anything through to Ohno himself. Their hopes of having another easy rendezvous were slowly slipping away.

Sho rubbed his forehead wearily as he calculated and recalculated. He not only had to find the best and easiest route to Ohno’s last known location. He also had to calculate their speed so that they’d cross the border in the darkest part of the night and, hopefully, make their escape before dawn.

Inevitably, his thoughts drifted towards Jun and his thwarted confession. He had only seen Jun in passing, sitting down for a quick bite to eat or walking past each other in the hall. While Sho should’ve been grateful to avoid more awkwardness between them, he couldn’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if Aiba hadn’t interrupted him.

Sho slumped on the map-filled table with a drawn out sigh. Now was not the time to be pining over Jun. They had more important things to worry about, like not getting themselves killed. Kind of important if he wanted any kind of future, whether Jun was in it or not. Sho allowed himself a few moments of pondering before he pulled himself up and went to back to work.

Sho was just running through his notes one last time when there was a rap on the door. He turned to see Nino peek through the door. “We’re about 12 hours away.” Sho felt his stomach drop. He knew they were close, but he hadn’t realized just how close. It was too soon. Sho suddenly felt the need to check his calculations five more times, comb through Nino’s reports for any minute detail that he might’ve missed. He took a deep breath and told himself that everything was going to be okay. “Come on, Jun wants to have one last meeting before we make the final preparations.”

Sho nodded and grabbed his pad of notes before following Nino to the bridge. Jun and Aiba were already in an animated discussion about what exactly they needed for pyrotechnics when they arrived. Not surprisingly, Aiba thought Jun was being stingy while Jun thought that Aiba already had enough explosives to demolish half the countryside.

Compromising somewhere in the middle, Jun then turned to Sho. “Here’s what we need to do if we want to get there at exactly midnight,” Sho said as he handed over his papers. “As long as we don’t run into any delays or complications.” That was what Sho was the most worried about, the things that he couldn’t plan for, the things that could turn the mission from a success to a complete disaster.

Jun flipped through the pages and looked up at Sho with a smile. “Looks good, as always.” He set them on top of the rest of his papers and turned to the rest of the group. “I’m taking Nino and Aiba in with me to rescue Ohno. I’ll need Nino’s contacts to get us inside, and Aiba’s pyrotechnics to get us out.”

“And me?” Sho asked with wide eyes.

“I want you to stay with the ship,” Jun replied slowly. “I would never expect you to fly her in the dark, in enemy territory, but we need someone to stay here and keep her running until we get back. I have a feeling we’re going to need to make a hasty retreat.”

Sho wanted to argue about his job, insist that he go along in the rescue mission, but he fully understood his strengths and weaknesses. He was not a fighter and had no skills in infiltration. “I can handle that,” Sho replied with a firm nod. It wasn’t the most glamorous job, but it was important.

Jun’s attention turned to Nino. “Any new information?”

Nino shook his head. “From the report I received this morning, Ohno’s still at the pub where he’s been working for the past week.. We can only hope that he’ll still be there tonight. There was no way to get him a message without arousing suspicions.”

“He’ll be there,” Aiba chimed in, leaning forward earnestly. “I just know it.”

Jun nodded in agreement. “If everything else in is order, we don’t need to make any modifications to the plan. I’ll go ahead and make the route changes that Sho suggested.” He paused to look at each of them in turn. “We can do this. I know it.”

Sho couldn’t help the tendril of worry that curled in his stomach. Jun was confident, but Sho knew he had reason to worry. A city guard could run into them at any moment and ruin their escape. Ohno could’ve been fired from his job at the pub, wandering the streets with no way for them to find him. There was so much that could go wrong, but Sho had to believe in his friends. They had succeeded in tougher missions in this, but none of them had stakes this high.

Almost exactly twelve hours later, Jun set the ship down behind a large hill that hid them from the view of the city guards. The walls of the city were manned 24 hours a day, so an aerial rescue was out of the question. Jun, Nino and Aiba had to climb the hill, cross the open plain and infiltrated the city walls through an unguarded sewer without being spotted. Jun especially was unhappy with the thought of crawling through the grimy sewers, but he was willing to do whatever it took to get Ohno back.

Sho followed the three men dressed in black from head to toe down to the docking bay. “Good luck,” he said quietly as they reached the door.

“We don’t need luck,” Aiba replied with a grin, patting the backpack that held enough explosives for a small army.

Sho turned to Nino. “If you get yourself killed, I’ll dig up your corpse and kill you again,” he said sternly, then pulled his best friend into a tight hug.

“As much as I’d like to see you try, I promise we’ll be careful,” Nino said with a small smile.

“I’ll take good care of your ship,” Sho promised solemnly as he turned to Jun.

“I know you will,” Jun replied, clasping Sho’s hand. “If we’re not back by dawn, take the ship and get out of here.”

Sho froze, mouth hanging open at the idea of leaving them behind. “I refuse to just leave you behind!”

“That is an order, Sakurai-san,” Jun retorted, locking his steely gaze with Sho’s. “If the three of us can’t rescue Ohno, there’s no way I’ll have you risk yourself in a suicide mission to get us out of there. It’s better to save yourself and the ship.”

Sho wanted to argue, wanted to tell Jun that there was no way he was running away from them again, but he knew that Jun would never give in. He nodded reluctantly, hoping that he wouldn’t have to live up to it.

“Promise me that you’ll get yourself out of here if we don’t come back,” Jun demanded. Nino and Aiba exchanged a significant glance over the scene that was unfolding in front of them, then made their escape through the docking bay door.

“Only if you promise me that you won’t give me reason to rescue you,” Sho replied firmly. He had given up on the Pikanchi once before and wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

“I can’t make that promise, Sho,” Jun replied sadly as he followed Nino and Aiba out the door.

“Then I can’t promise I’ll give up on you,” Sho whispered to the empty doorway. He secured the door and made his way up to the bridge. Sho gave the various gauges and dials a preliminary glance. Everything looked normal.

He flopped into the captain’s chair and resigned himself to wait. He felt helpless, just waiting for them to come back. The others had run through their plan so many times that even Sho had it memorized. According to Nino’s contact on the inside, Ohno had been abandoned by the group of smugglers. Ohno had drifted through the city, taking on whatever job he could get just to feed himself and have a roof over his head. He continued to look for a way out of the city, a way to come home. The city, situated just outside no man’s land, was extremely distrustful of anything from across the border. Only the most skilled smugglers were able to infiltrate the city walls, and if Ohno were was to reveal that he wasn’t a native, he would be imprisoned immediately.

In order to retrieve Ohno, they had to duck into the city sewers, walking almost a mile until they reached an exit that was watched by a guard who was supposed to be especially accepting of bribes. They would have to walk another four blocks through the city, sneak into the pub to retrieve Ohno and return through the sewers, leaving the guard with another bribe to keep him silent. Aiba was their insurance policy, using his explosives to create mayhem and distract the city guards in case they attracted any unwanted attention.

Trapped in the ship, Sho couldn’t help but obsess about the many things that could go wrong with this plan. As the minutes slowly ticked by, Sho threw himself into his maps and charts, checking and rechecking his calculations for their return trip. One hour passed, then two. When Sho started to go cross-eyed from look at all the charts, he started pacing. He obsessively checked the meters and gauges as he circled the room. He was not good at waiting.

Sho retrieved a book from his room, hoping to distract himself from worry. It was quickly forgotten in his lap as he stared out the window into the darkness. The sky was just starting to lighten with the first rays of dawn when Sho caught sight of tiny figures racing across the top of the hill. He jumped out of the chair, his book tumbling to the floor, and raced down to the docking bay. His fingers fumbled with the latch, then pulled it open just as a grimy Nino was about to pound on it to be let it.

Nino stumbled into the ship, pulling a weary Ohno behind him. Sho inspected them for any injuries but didn’t see anything, just exhaustion. “Welcome to the ship.” He smiled widely and clapped Ohno on the shoulder.

“We did it,” Nino announced, trying to catch his breath.

“The explosives that Jun bought for me are amazing!” Aiba announced happily as he shot through the door. Sho waited for Jun to follow Aiba inside, then peeked through the doorway into the pre-dawn. Nothing.

“Guys. Where’s Jun?” Sho demanded. He counted the people in the room again, just to be sure. Ohno, Nino, Aiba… Jun was definitely missing. “Where is Jun?!” The others froze in the middle of their celebration to stare blankly at Sho. Nino stumbled over to the door and peered out.

“He was just behind me,” Aiba insisted, looking over Nino’s shoulder. Ohno nodded in agreement.

Sho pulled his collapsible telescope from its loop on his belt and scanned the lightening horizon just in time to see a figure duck behind a pile of rocks. “Over there!” he shouted, pointing for the others to see. Sho’s eyes went wide as he heard distant gunshots.

“You were supposed to demolish the gate so they couldn’t follow us!” Nino rounded on Aiba.

“I did!” Aiba replied hotly. “They must’ve found another way out!”

“Stop it,” Sho ordered before Nino could say anything else. “Ohno, have Nino take you up to the bridge, fly the ship as low as possible over Jun’s location.” Nino grabbed Ohno’s hand and raced out of the docking bay. “Aiba, cover us with cannon fire.”

Aiba nodded and ran to the door. He paused and looked back at Sho. “And what about you?”

“I’m going to catch the prize,” Sho replied with a reckless grin.

“Good luck.” And Aiba was gone.

Sho scavenged a spare piece of rope and tied one end around his waist, the other to a hook next to the door. It wouldn’t do him any good to fall out as he tried to grab Jun. The ship wasn’t built for speed, but Sho could feel that Ohno pushed it to its limits as he took off and brought it around.

“Is everyone in place?” Nino’s voice came over the intercom. “We’re about to make our first pass.”

“Our only pass,” Sho whispered to himself. If he was still the Jun that Sho remembered, he only carried a six shot revolver. It wouldn’t last long against half an army.

“Ready,” chirped Aiba over the intercom.

“Ready,” Sho replied, pulling the microphone down with him as he crouched near the door. The ship practically skimmed the tall crass, and Aiba fired a few warning shots. Sho reached out the door as Jun came into view. “Jump!”

Jun stared at Sho in disbelief then nodded. He fired off one last shot at the approaching army, then jumped. Sho leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Jun’s torso and pulled him in. The force of Jun’s weight knocked Sho over and sent them tumbling to the floor. “We got him,” he laughed breathlessly, kicking the door shut. “We did it.”

The intercom was filled with a chorus of cheers as Sho untangled himself from Jun’s limbs to hang the microphone back on the hook. Sho turned around to find Jun staring him down, eyes blazing.

“What do you think you were doing hanging out of a moving ship like that?” he demanded, pushing Sho’s back into the wall.

“B-but I tied myself to the ship so I wouldn’t fall out,” Sho stuttered, tugging on the rope still wrapped around his waist.

Sho’s improvised safety device didn’t seem to placate Jun. “They were shooting at you!” Jun shouted.

“And they weren’t shooting at you?” Sho retorted with a humorless chuckle.

Jun opened his mouth to reply, then ducked his head and gave a little laugh. “I guess they were, I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

Sho reached out and cupped Jun’s cheek in one hand. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t lose you again,” he whispered, tilting Jun’s head to meet his eyes. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I just left you there.” Jun’s eyes went wide, surprise clear on his face. Sho took advantage of his momentary surprise to pull him into a soft kiss. Sho had his own moment of surprise as Jun, instead of pulling away, deepened the kiss.

Sho wrapped his arm around Jun’s neck and pulled him close. Fire coursed through Sho’s body at the contact. He had dreamed of this for so long and now he finally had it. Sho poured everything he couldn’t say into that kiss, his long repressed infatuation, his fear that he’d never see Jun again, his relief over Jun’s rescue. He broke the kiss only when his lungs were screaming for air. Sho stared up at Jun as he tried to catch his breath, waiting for a response.

“I’m glad you didn’t leave me behind,” Jun whispered into Sho’s lips.

Sho’s brow creased in confusion. That wasn’t the response he was looking for. “That’s all you have to say?” he demanded, pulling away slightly.

“What would you rather have me say? ‘What took you so long?’” Jun replied with a chuckle. “Because that’s what I really want to know.” He didn’t wait for an answer but swooped in and claimed Sho’s lips in a searing kiss. Sho’s brain malfunctioned as Jun’s tongue demanded entrance and slid along his. Sho wouldn’t admit how much time he’d spent imagining kissing Jun, but it didn’t even come close to the real thing. Sho’s free hand wrapped around Jun’s waist, pulling him close. He didn’t want to ever let go, even if he knew it couldn’t last forever.

Sho nipped at Jun’s bottom lip and pulled away with a smile. “The others are probably wondering why we haven’t come up yet,” he whispered, entranced by the sight in front of him. He liked this version of Jun, cheeks flushed and lips rosy from their kissing.

“Let them wonder,” Jun growled as he leaned into Sho and stole another heated kiss. Jun’s hands were everywhere at once, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. Sho trailed kisses and nips along Jun’s jawline and down his neck, pondering how irritated Jun would be if he left a mark there for everyone to see. Sho quickly realized that kissing Jun was like a drug, one he couldn’t get enough of.

“Navigator Sho report to the bridge to set our course, please,” came Nino’s voice over the intercom.

Sighing, Sho untangled himself from Jun and shot a glare at the loudspeaker. “It appears that I’m needed on the bridge,” he said regretfully.

“I would be a very bad captain if I kept you from your work,” Jun replied with a mischievous grin.

“And I would be a very bad navigator if I kept _you_ from your… shower,” Sho retorted, wrinkling his nose as he noticed, for the first time, the sewer muck on Jun’s clothes, muck that inevitably transferred to his own during their heated kissing. He quickly untied the rope that was still tied around his waist, then led Jun out of the docking bay. They walked down the hallway in a companionable silence. Sho had a million questions he wanted to ask Jun, mostly centered around whether Jun liked him as long as he had liked Jun, but he forced himself to cherish the moment together. Now that the crew was reunited, he had a feeling that quiet moments would be rare.

Jun turned to Sho as they reached a split in the hallway, one way led to the crew cabins and the other to the bridge. “Welcome to the Pikanchi Double, Navigator Sakurai,” Jun whispered as he stole one last kiss from Sho.

Jun disappeared into his rooms before Sho could react. The Pikanchi Double. Sho liked the sound of that, the perfect way to honor the past while also looking to the future. Sho no longer had to repress his feelings for Jun, but most of all, they had a new ship and the crew was finally reunited. Only the clear blue sky stood between them and their future.


End file.
